The Pune Mahanagar Parivahan Mahamandal Ltd (PMPML) is going to take action against contractors who are delaying the delivery of buses. Notices are being issued to the contractors to deliver the buses latest by May, other than a Rs 500 fine per bus for the delay.

As per the contract, PMPML was about to get 660 buses till January 20, but till March 24, it got only 368. Now, one of the contractors who was to provide 110 buses has completely failed in delivering, so only 550 buses will be added to the PMPML fleet.

Talking about the issue, PMPML chairman and managing director Ramchandra Joshi said, “There is a delay in procuring the new buses and it was decided to take action aginst the contractors. A fine of Rs 500 will be charged per bus for the delay and it will be ensured that all the remaining buses come till May. We got a report that most of the buses are ready but are awaiting official sanctions.”

Commuters harried
Pune Municipal Transport Pravasi Manch president Jugal Rathi said, “Citizens need bus services now since exams are going on. Also, summer is on its way and commuters need air-conditioned buses. Earlier, 650 Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM) buses, which were supposed to arrive in six months, took almost four years. There is no one to properly manage the PMPML bus operations or keep a check on qiality, which is leading to breakdowns and delays.”
“The state and central governments should stop giving funds to PMPML if it performs poorly, because commuters are suffering due to its oversight,” he added.